Available theories lead to different predictions regarding the determinants of perceived environmental quality. Additionally, the contribution of chronological age as it relates to environmental realities (alpha press), environmental perceptions (beta press), and the relationship between actuality and perception is not well understood. Characteristics associated with aging may be concomitants of deprived statuses associated with old age but not necessarily age determined. We propose to: (1) further specify age-related variance in alpha press, beta press, and relationships between them; (2) assess the relative efficiency of the theories of cognitive consistency, personalized perception and ecological change in accounting for the results; (3) assess the relative potency of external reality and of individual differences as determinants of perceived environmental quality; and (4) evaluate the extent to which differences are related to age per se or to factors currently associated with aging. Data are available on a large (N equals 2541) representative sample of persons aged 18 or older, which include objective measures of physical and suprapersonal environments as well as person descriptors and perceptions of environmental qualities. Using primarily item analysis, multiple regression, and linear structural approaches, the relative importance of environmental and personal variables as determinants of environmental perception will be evaluated with specific attention to age as an explanatory variable.